ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2021
Effectiveness of topical vancomycin in the prevention of spinal surgical site infections: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- A meta-analysis of the efficacy of topical antibiotics in spinal surgery for the prevention of surgical site infection.Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Intrawound vancomycin powder in orthopaedic surgery as surgical site wound infection prophylaxis: A meta-analysis.International wound journal · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of powdered vancomycin on stopping surgical site wound infections in neurosurgery: A meta-analysis.International wound journal · 2023Pooled it
- Risk factors for surgical site infections after spinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- Does Vancomycin as the First-Choice Therapy for Antibiotic Prophylaxis Increase the Risk of Surgical Site Infections Following Spine Surgery?Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) SSIs, after spinal surgeries is one of the most daunting experiences to patients and surgeons. Some authors suggest applying vancomycin powder on the wound before skin closure to minimize the risk of SSIs; however, this practice is not supported by well-established evidence. This study sought to assess the effectiveness of topical (i.e. intra-wound) vancomycin in minimizing the risk of SSIs in patients who underwent spinal surgeries at a Saudi hospital.
methodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted using the hospital database. Patients who underwent spinal surgeries from the period of 09/2013 to 09/2019 were included and followed up (observed from the time of the surgery) to 30 days (surgeries without implants) or 90 days (with implants). The odds ratio (OR) of the primary outcome between vancomycin treated versus non-treated patients was estimated using a logistic regression model adjusting for the measured confounders. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using propensity score analysis (inverse probability of treatment weighting [IPTW] with stabilized weights) to control for confounding by indication. All study analyses were completed using RStudio Version 1.2.5033.
resultsWe included 81 vancomycin treated vs. 375 untreated patients with 28 infections (8/81 vs. 20/375; respectively). The adjusted OR of SSIs between the two groups was 0.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11 to 1.34). The result of the propensity score analysis was consistent (OR: 0.97 [95% CI 0.35 to 2.68]).
conclusionsWe could not find a lower association of SSIs with intra-wound vancomycin in patients who underwent spinal surgeries. Further studies are needed to assess benefits of using topical vancomycin for this indication vs. the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
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